Category: Church Vertical Dial

KINGSDON . SOMERSET – All Saints

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ALL SAINTS . KINGSDON . SOMERSET

GRADE II* ❖ Dates from C13th; Original N tower replaced C15 with W tower; revisions and renovation until full restoration 1869, with further work 1906. Local lias. Halfway between Ilchester / Somerton. 51.0331 / -2.692 / ST515262

DIALS

DEH visited on Oct 1st 2014. He found 3 dials and gave a longer account than usual. Dial 1 is on E buttress of the Tower, at head height. Dial 2 is on W side of S porch. The 3rd dial is low down within the porch, on E side.

There is also a rather splendid though much worn vertical dial high up on the same buttress as Dial 1. DEH either missed it (because he was examining the south side at usual dial level); or perhaps he saw it and decided it was outside the scope of his scrutiny (see below).

DIAL 1

There are 8 radials. The configuration suggests a noon arrangement of 5 lines with quite accurate spacing and line length. The other 3 radials seem to have been added rather rustically RHS at a later date. The plugged gnomon hole is still discernible in the mortar line.

DIAL 2

I either forgot to photograph this dial, or my camera and I had a misunderstanding. The dial is on W side of S porch. DEH noted: It is 5 feet 5 inches above the ground, the noonline is about 5 inches in length, and the style hole is open and badly shaped.

DIAL 3

The dial is within the present porch, RHS of the the original church door. Before the outer porch was added, the dial may have served well as a time-of-day checker for passers-by, or perhaps for an Acolyte to keep an eye on before ringing the bell for a service. Later, it becomes decoration.

VERTICAL DIAL

The dial is unusually high up for a country church, and the finer details must have been rather lost on viewers. It is now badly damaged and in need of some TLC before it flakes away. I will probably write it up for my Vertical Dial page, however of interest include: the simple horizontal iron gnomon; the carefully graduated lines; the numbers being within a frame; and the use of IIII for IV.

GSS Category: Scratch Dial; Mass Dial; Scratch Dial within Porch; Somerset Scratch Dials; Vertical Dial

All photos: Keith Salvesen / Rolling Harbour

HORTON . GLOS . ST JAMES THE ELDER – Vertical Dial

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Benefice Photograph

ST JAMES THE ELDER . HORTON . GLOS

GRADE I ❖ C12 origins; rebuilt C14; subsequent alterations C15/16; restoration 1865. Fine S porch with a splendid collection of carvings; interesting monuments within. On the Cotswold Way NE of Chipping Sodbury. 51°33’49″N   2°20’20″W ST766850

VERTICAL DIAL

This rather splendid dial, cut high on a buttress, is somewhat rustic for its exalted position. It faces SW, which explains why the lines radiate from a corner, rather than top centre or central to the dial stone. The randomness of the radials and the gaps between them suggests difficulty matching them with the positions of the roman numerals along the base and RHS of the dial.

BRITISH SUNDIAL SOCIETY RECORD 1998

GSS Category: Vertical Dial; Dial on Church

CREDIT: Martin May, with thanks for contacting me and for the excellent photos of this interesting dial

WINTERBORNE STICKLAND . DORSET . ST MARY: DOUBLE-FACED VERTICAL DIAL

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ST MARY . WINTERBORNE STICKLAND . DORSET

GRADE 1 ✣ C13 origins; Tower ± 1600; considerable restoration C18. A charming country church, seemingly plain but with much to justify its listing. Tomb chamber. 2 (perhaps 3) scratch dials, written up separately. Graffiti: C17 & 18 initials & dates on responds of tower arch. 5m S of Blandford. Close-by St Andrew’s at W/B Houghton makes a pleasant short visit. 50.8409 / -2.2363 / ST834046

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SUNDIAL

A fine double-faced dial on the S. porch gable, angled SE and SW. Both faces match in design, with identical scrolled iron gnomons. BHO dates to C18th. BSS mentions Roman numerals, but I couldn’t find any trace even with close-up photos.

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SW FACE

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SE FACE

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Geograph image from c2010 for comparison of condition of stone and lichen coverage

GSS Category: Vertical Sundial; Double-faced Sundial; Porch Gable Sundial

All photos: Keith Salvesen except last, Geograph 2010

TOTNES . DEVON . ST MARY – Vertical Dial

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wigulf . wiki . cc / os

TOTNES . DEVON . ST MARY

GRADE 1 ✣ A fine Perpendicular church on the site of Benedictine Priory, standing proudly near the centre of the town and visible from some distance away. Mainly built mid-C15 using much red sandstone. The Grade denotes the importance of the building, and the interior offers much for the visitor. Also, see the splendid Norman motte and bailey castle nearby. 50.4319 / -3.6878 / SX802604

VERTICAL DIAL

St Mary online

On the south wall of the church near the porch is a slate dial set in a stone frame. It declines west and shows the hours VII – VI divided into halves and quarters. Across the top is an inscription which reads In memoriam TWW 1903. Below it are the coordinates Lat 5020 ; Long 0340 W. Across the bottom of the dial is the quite common motto Ut Hora Sic Vita (Life is as an Hour).

The gnomon has a pierced nodus which causes a spot of light to appear on the dial plate. In my amateur experience, this is a relatively uncommon addition to a sundial’s capabilities.

GSS Category: Vertical Dial; Sundial with Nodus; Vertical Sundial Motto; Memorial Vertical Sundial

Photos: header, wigulf . wiki . cc / os; dial location, St Mary’s online; dial close-ups, BSS Bridol

Thanks to Erika Clarkson for giving me the details from a visit to St Mary’s, where she had found a scratch dial. I have written it up separately, being completely different in type and time.

OMONVILLE-la-PETITE . COTENTIN . SAINT-MARTIN – Vertical Dial

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SAINT MARTIN . OMANVILLE-la-PETIT . CONTENTIN

An attractive vertical dial, accurately angled, with Arabic numerals. Semi-circle perimeter and round top gnomon stay. There’s a slight jeux d’ésprit feel to the gnomon. There was no sun on the dial when we visited: I wondered how well it would work in practice.

GSS Category: Vertical Dial; Church Sundial France; Ornamental Gnomon

All photos: Keith Salvesen

BIVILLE . MANCHE . SAINT-PIERRE – Vertical Dial

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SAINT-PIERRE . BIVILLE . MANCHE

C13 origins. By C19 the church had become a place of pilgrimage for one Thomas Hélye, whose remains are rather eerily displayed in a case in the nave. In due course, the church needed to expand to accommodate pilgrims and the work was eventually completed in the 1920s.

DIAL

The dial is located on the second stage of the tower, in a position and at a height to record the passage of the day for all to see. The dial (date uncertain) with its Arabic numerals is large enough to mark 1/4 hours. It is canted for accuracy. The gnomon, unusually, is formed from two separate bent rods that (see large image below) have been carefully sited to cast the shadow.

GSS Category: Verical Dial; Normandy Vertical Dial; Sundial France

All photos: Keith Salvesen

AUDERVILLE . MANCHE . ST GILLES – Vertical Dial

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The church of St Gilles at Auderville is one of several churches in the region with similar dials located high up on one end, in this case the E buttress.

The dial is both canted and also slightly angled downwards, enough to notice from ground level. The Roman numerals are Blackletter, as can be found on other churches in the area. I haven’t come across the ‘horseshoe’ 9 before. The modern angled gnomon is plain and functional.

GSS Category: Vertical Dial Normandy France

All photos: Keith Salvesen

COGOLIN . VAR . FRANCE – Vertical Dials

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booking.com

L’ÉGLISE SAINT-SAUVEUR et SAINT ÉTIENNE . COGOLIN . VAR

COGOLIN is an attractive and relatively small town with a harbour close to Port Grimaud. Both towns are a short jet-ski ride from St Tropez. The church, with its double dedication, may date to C11.

CHRIST IS THE LIGHT OF NATIONS

This intriguing dial was created by M. Garde-Lebreton in 2018. It manages to combine accuracy, legibility, and charm. An excellent bonus is the very careful explanation of the dial on a separate plate. An object lesson of modern dial design and analysis.

DIAL 2

St-Sauveur has a second attractive dial, another good example of a modern dial that combines its purpose with cheerful style. Engraved and painted on cement.

Props: Michel Lalos

Michal Lalos

GSS Category: Vertical Dial; Dial on Church Wall; Modern Dial; France Sundial

CREDITS: Charly Salvesen with many thanks; R Collins; booking.com; Michel Lalos

BELCHALWELL . ST ALDHELM . Vertical Dial

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ST ANDREW . BELCHALWELL . DORSET

Listed II* ❖ South door, part of S nave wall c.1190; C15 nave, south tower, porch, part of chancel; C18 works and restorations. A lonesome church in the heart of the Blackmore Vale. If unfamiliar with the area use a map or satnav. You’ll find a fascinating little church. 4m S of Sturminster Newton. 50.8873 / -2.2964 / ST792098

DIAL

A conventional dial, simple and a bit incongruous high up on the SW buttress of the tower. It is in fact a locally-made replica of a dial which had existed in the same position on the church since the late 18th or early 19th century (BSS). It is very slightly canted on the angled buttress, with the lines cut from VIII to VI. Including the horizontal line, this is (unusually?) a VII – VII dial.

Late Norman porch and Painted arch

GSS Category: Vertical Dial; Canted dial; Replaced old dial; Replica Vertical Dial

All photos: Keith Salvesen

CANFORD MAGNA . DORSET . Vertical Dial

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CANFORD MAGNA CHURCH . DORSET

VERTICAL DIAL

For the Canford Scratch Dial see HERE

GRADE I ❖ Saxon origins as cruciform chapel. Tower added c1180. Expansion C13, C14; C15 additions; C19 alterations. No dedication. A very fine and interesting church, the late Saxon work being of major importance HE. Without any doubt one of the most interesting churches in Dorset PEV. 50.7889 /  -1.956 / SZ031988

DIAL

A fine dial above the S chapel in fair condition, rather attractively decorated with lichen. The dial is canted to face S, and shows the hours and half-hours from 6am to 6pm in Roman numerals. There seems to be no record of its date, but I will try to find out.

The inscription (‘motto’) begins I PASS… (?), but it’s hard to make out more. I will add it in due course when I have the Motto Bible to hand.

Although this is a Parish Church, it lies within the grounds of Canford School. There are some unsurprising visiting restrictions. If you have an interest in early churches, you will want to spend some time investigating the interior and working out the gradual development. See PEV DORSET p171 and ff.

GSS Category: Vertical Dial; Vertical Dial on Church

All photos: Keith Salvesen